unopposed

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + opposed,^[2][3] opposed being the past participle of oppose.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not opposed; without opposition, unchallenged: 1625, in Thomas Jackson's Treatise of the Originall of Unbeliefe.^[2][5] Etymonline dates the word to the 1650s.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Johnson (1755) defined it as not met by any hostility or obstruction, quoting Milton's Paradise Lost: "thy hope was to have reach'd / The height of thy aspiring unoppos'd".^[6] In modern use it is especially said of a candidate who has no opponent in an election.^[5][7]

Timeline

• 1625 – not opposed, without opposition.^[2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Not opposed or resisted; meeting no opposition: The troops crossed the river unopposed.^[2][5][3]
2. Having no opponent, especially in an election: She was returned unopposed as club treasurer.^[5][7]

Related words

• oppose
• opposed
• opposition

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins